Help/advice needed

[FazerJett]

Hello to anyone who remembers me from years ago on the old site. After being left in the garage for a few year, I finally got my y-reg Fazer back on the road last December. Have really enjoyed my commute for the last few months, cold weather and all. Until last night! A van reversing into a drive suddenly pulled out in front of me. I wasn't going too fast, and managed to get some braking done before I hit the side of the van head on, so impact wasn't too bad. Apart from some very sore ribs, I'm OK. Bike looks very secondhand and is unrideable, so had to leave it at the roadside. Just learnt that it looks like he had no insurance. Suddenly no-one at Bennetts and their satellite agencies is interested in helping me, because there's no third party insurance to recover against. So all that talk about replacement leathers and helmet, replacement hire bike until mine is sorted... has gone out the window. Can't even get it collected. RAC want £156 plus £1.68 per mile to recover it.
Any ideas how to get the bike home before some scrote helps himself?
Thanks
Jonathan

[Chris]

Aw man, gutted for you!

Glad you're not hurt more than you were, sorry I have no idea about advice for you... do you know anyone with a trailer that'd help you pick it up for some beer money or something.

Are you fully comp on your insurance, I thought they'd still sort it if the other person wasn't insured as that's their fault not yours.... Although insurance companys are complete [email]bast@rds[/email]!

Hope you get it sorted mate,

Chris

[clayt74]

Bennets should cover u if u have fully comp insurance although they will deduct your excess.
If u only have 3rd party you r prety much screwed. Sorry mate

[chris.biker]

Might help your cause if you stated which town the bike is in, also i would try local garages for a rate it can only be cheaper than the RAC in these hard times and the other thought is a man with a van.

[Chillum]

I thought there was some kind of fund that people could claim against when in an incident with an uninsured driver that all the insurance companies have to pay into?

[simonm]

Might help your cause if you stated which town the bike is in, also i would try local garages for a rate it can only be cheaper than the RAC in these hard times and the other thought is a man with a van.

Chris made a good point.  I know a man with a white van.  Don't give specifics an area would help though.


In the meantime hide it behind a bush or ask someone if you can put it in their garage


Simon

[simonm]

I'm guessing according to this: http://www.bennetts.co.uk/motorbike-insu...-included/ that you only had third party insurance yourself then...


Take it on the chin and get a man in a van or the RAC.

[chaz]

look on ebay for bike couriers, some quote £99 anywhere mainland, but might have to wait a bit.

you can claim for injuries from the insurance fund but not for your bike. don't take no for an answer, check on "ask mid" see if the van had insurance even if the driver wasn't named if the owner knew he was driving you could try that line.

[slimwilly]

I suspect he is a Londoner, Islington is mentioned on his other post.

[FazerJett]

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. 
Sorry - should have said; I'm in Sutton, Surrey.
Not sure about Islington. Mebbe it was about Hobbsy, or perhaps the pub in which I saw Jake Bugg play. Dunno.
Am fully comp, but no-one seemed interested yesterday, will try Bennets again.

[simonm]

If you're fully comp I would be shouting at someone to get a fcuking move on. If they didn't seem interested I'd be speaking to their manager. Damn poor customer service.

[Fuzzy]

I thought there was some kind of fund that people could claim against when in an incident with an uninsured driver that all the insurance companies have to pay into?

I think that might be the MIB, Motor Insurance Bureau you're thinking of.

http://www.mib.org.uk/Customer+Services/...efault.htm

Worth a look I reckon.

[FazerJett]

Thanks again to all for the advice. Things picked up, I've been having physio for my sore ribs which has been absolutely brilliant. I've got more movement in my back than I've had for years.
On the other hand, the bike has been written off, which was no surprise. Y-reg, 77k miles & needing new forks, mirrors, levers, headlight, cowling & mounting, headlight...... Haven't got much for it though, £700 offer (which is about right 'cos I'd only recently got a value for I, and that was the number). The bike was very secondhand, hardly a panel that wasn't scratched cracked or both. They've deducted £125 for salvage. Not come across this before, so not sure about this but don't reckon it's worth that to me.
The thing that's really, really bugging me is his statement. He was reversing into someone's drive and then pulled out straight into my path. He's now saying that there was stopped traffic in both directions which is why he couldn't see me because I was overtaking the stationery traffic. It's a complete lie, but he's obviously been told that this will make it 50:50. There was no traffic coming towards me and the traffic behind me was at least 500 metres behind me. I'd cleared the debris from the road and was picking the bike back up before it arrived. There were no witnesses, so how come he says there were cars around?
Oh well, rant over - let the lawyers sort it out. Last one took 2 1/2 years to sort.
BTW replacement hire-bike has been a Suzuki GSXF 650. I've never seen one before and am amazed that there aren't a load of them around. At £6k new it's surely excellent value. Seems to get looked down on by everyone though, so no credibility. Limited lock though.

ATB
Jonathan

[Fuzzy]

Glad things are progressing mate. Ribs hurt - I broke a couple a few years back and it didn't matter what I was doing, I could be just lying down, and they hurt like buggery.

I'm so sick of crappy driving on the road (of all vehicles incl other bikes/scooters), not to mention lying bastards, so I now ride with a helmet cam so if anything were to happen I'd have evidence. For the sake of £150 for the cost of the cam, I think it's worth it.

So was the other party insured in the end?

[Chris]

Glad you're feeling a bit better, shame about the bike and the lying knob that hit you. Hope you can get it sorted!

Take care,

Chris

[FazerJett]

Thanks Fuzzy & Chris
Yes - he turned out to be on someone's fleet policy.  :rolleyes
I'm seeing more and more helmet cams, and am thinking of getting one.
I'm off to buy a new bike with the £575 I got for the old one!
ATB
Jonathan

[TuonoV]

Glad you didn't need the motor insurers bureau. Whilst they are there when all else fails, they had a number of conditions you needed to meet before paying out, and about 10 years ago when I was knocked off by a hit and run driver, all fairly straight forward, but it still took them around 3 years from accident to receiving a cheque - and that was just me accepting the first offer, could have argued for more but I was fed up by then.

[Tiberius Onklevaart]

If you're fully comp I would be shouting at someone to get a fcuking move on. If they didn't seem interested I'd be speaking to their manager. Damn poor customer service.

Aye but until they challenge you amd say something you don't agree with I reckon









On the original query, not sure I can offer amyrhing over and above the previous. And it sounds like a real shiter.


I only wish you had an Unkle Baz type figure round your way. Hopefully you find one